AMERICANA-UK.COM (Liverpool UK) (November 3, 2001)
Doug Hoekstra - Album - "The Past is
Never Past" (Inbetweens Records, 2001) 
It should be pointed out if you’ve not come across Doug Hoekstra at all yet that not only have you missed out on a genius for years, but that you may not realise you have. Surprisingly, despite the creativity that goes into his studio outings, it’s live where he clicks. Still, if you needed a contemporary introduction to his material, you wouldn’t expect a collection of tracks and out-takes that didn’t quite make it on to a full album to be a good place to start. "The Past is Never Past" is exactly such a collection but works so well that it comes across as almost a complete concept album in itself. From the opening spoken word track "She Walks in Beauty" which could give Earl Keen a lesson or two in how to pull it off, Hoekstra’s voice sounds more like Grant McLennan’s than ever, with no less of its finery and resonance. Some of the tracks further in are slow burners ("Oh, Zamira," "The Life We Love") while others jump out straight away as tracks that could make key singles from any artist’s album. The jangle-guitar of "Break My Fall" and "Where I Worked" with its sweet violin work particularly well. The occasional vocals of Kat Parsons and the incredible lyrics as always round off a remarkable album given its diverse origins - thoroughly recommended.
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